Get the early days right.

Community isn't a formula. Stop obsessing about scale. Forget the spreadsheet math of a hundred people paying a hundred dollars a month. That's not how community works or starts.

You don't build to planet Earth without something happening at the cellular level first. Community is the same. The first person who connects with your idea is validating your entire concept. They're proof that it works. The second person shows it wasn't a fluke. The third creates momentum. That's when your future members and referrals start paying attention.

Community growth is almost never exponential. It doubles. 1 plus 1 equals 2. 2 plus 2 equals 4. 4 plus 4 equals 8. And that's if you're lucky. Even on that conservative path, you're only 7 steps away from over 100 people.

The early days are the most important. Real feedback. Real responses. Real relationships. Some growth is direct: someone asks if you want to join. Some is ambient: someone sees your post about an event. But it all starts with one authentic connection, then each member passing that connection to someone else.

Get the early days right. Create real value. The early adopters will remember when this started. Start small. Make an impact.

You'll grow before you know it.